Diane Prucino

In her broad-ranging practice, Diane L. Prucino assists employers with any issue that relates to employees: advice, employee terminations, trade secrets, restrictive covenants, union issues, wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, leaves, and training. She gives employment law advice and defends employers in employment-discrimination, wage-and-hour, and other employment litigation brought before administrative agencies and in court. She regularly handles reductions in force; investigates harassment and discrimination complaints; conducts other workplace investigations for employers; and offers training on harassment, discrimination, and investigation issues.

She has successfully represented employers in numerous jury trials in federal court in employment discrimination cases and has litigated employment claims in over 25 states. She regularly works with foreign counsel on executive terminations overseas and has testified for employers on the adequacy of workplace investigation procedures.

Diane has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Management Employment Law, Management Labor Law, and Labor and Employment Litigation in 2019 and the 11 years immediately preceding. She was also recognized in 2009, and most recently in 2018 and the seven years immediately preceding, as a Georgia “Super Lawyer” in Labor and Employment Law by Super Lawyers magazine.

In 2009, Diane was named a “Woman of Excellence” by Business to Business magazine for her influential leadership and positive impact on the community. She has been named a Georgia “Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend magazine each year since 2009 and is listed in the 2018 edition and the nine immediately preceding annual editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Diane is AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell.*

*AV®, BV®, AV Preeminent®, and BV Distinguished® are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards, and policies.

Experience:

• Represented a multinational beverage company in developing strategy and coordinating the work of foreign counsel for a global reduction in force affecting employees in more than 60 countries.
• The firm served as lead counsel for American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in a disability discrimination lawsuit and obtained dismissal of all the plaintiff’s claims. Our client prevailed on summary judgment on its cross-claim against the plaintiff for defamation, violation of the Lanham Act, and invasion of privacy. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed.
• Represented a supply chain management company in a case in federal court in Georgia in which plaintiff and a class of similarly situated employees claimed they had been misclassified as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Our client asserted counterclaims for breach of contract, misuse and misappropriation of trade secrets, violation of Georgia’s Computer Systems Protection Act, and tortious interference with contractual relations. Negotiated a favorable settlement for the client covering all claims.
• Represented the CEO and Chairman of Compuware Corporation, a large computer services firm, in a nationally reported sex harassment case that was settled on terms highly favorable to client.
• Successfully represented Invesco and its CEO in an age discrimination and whistleblower claim in Massachusetts.
• Represented Quintiles Transnational Corp. and Innovex Inc. in this case for sexual harassment, sex discrimination, retaliation, and disability discrimination filed in federal court in Florida. Summary judgment was granted on behalf of our clients. Smith v. Quintiles Transnational Corp.,No. 5:04-cv-00657 (M.D. Fla. Dec. 17, 2004).

Education:

• University of Virginia School of Law, J.D. (1982)
• Duke University, A.B., English and Political Science (1978) summa cum laude

Admissions:

• Georgia (1982)